November 26, 2024
Under canopy lighting is all the rage in the cannabis industry, and with good reason. Research has shown that they can improve premium flower yields by 25–100%, depending on how they are deployed.
At JumpLights, we know that there are a wide variety of under canopy lights available on the market. The LED grow lights you buy can have a massive impact on the results that you see and the return you get on your investment. Below are some of the questions that you should ask when looking at JumpLights vs other under canopy lighting suppliers before investing your hard-earned dollars.
Is the light truly designed for under canopy applications?
Some “under canopy” lights are actually over canopy lights or intra-canopy lights that have been flipped over and called under canopy lights. These often have sub-optimal performance. For example, a 3-sided light pattern may be great for inter-canopy (vertical, between plant) applications, but will result in substantial wasted light in under canopy applications. JumpLights Catalyst lights were specially designed to be under canopy lights and therefore offer an optimal spectrum and light distribution for under canopy use. This is important to consider when weighing JumpLights vs other lights available in the cannabis industry. While it may be true for some, certainly not all “under canopy” lights were designed for this purpose!. Make sure the lights you’re buying are truly suited to be under canopy lights.
Will the lights fit well in your grow setup?
Some LED grow lights look great in website photos and in brochures, but they don’t fit well with the equipment and plants that you have in your facility. If you have PIP racks or horizontal trellis bars in your facility, make sure the lights you choose fit well in those applications. Some lights don’t have connectors or hooks that easily fit onto racks and bars. If you have a smaller operation and want to put the lights on the floor vs. on racks, make sure the light you are buying has feet that you can use to hold them in the right place. JumpLights lights, for example, perform very well on racks and bars due to the metal sliders which seamlessly come out of either end.
Are the lights robust and reliable?
There are lights out there that promise incredible efficiency and performance, but aren’t robust enough to stay functional for very long. First, take a close look at the connectors attached to the lights. Are they exposed? Can you cover them if needed? Are the lights short in length, requiring double the number of connectors (which can be points of failure)? If so, the connectors could easily fail, leaving you without any light at all. You also want to ask about whether the LED grow lights have a cover and if so, what type. You want some type of plastic cover (called a lens) over the lights (glass is likely to break on an under canopy light) that’s easy to clean and won’t break when moved. The best under canopy lighting solutions are rugged and tough—you can bump them, move them easily, and they can stand up to water used in the cleaning process.
We take pride in the materials we use to build our lights. Custom extruded metal and quality controlled plastic are used to construct Jumplights vs the unknown plastics from which some of the lights on the market are constructed. Our satisfaction rates are among the highest in the cannabis industry.
What spectrum do the LED grow lights have?
Understanding the spectrum is important for any kind of lighting, but for under canopy it’s especially vital. A very high percentage of red, for example, can lead to photobleaching with an under canopy light because it is close to the plant. You’ll want to avoid very high percentages of red as well as UV radiation in your under canopy lights.
Where are the lights designed, assembled, and tested?
Many lights are made overseas and not assembled or tested in the US. JumpLights’ Catalyst lights are proudly designed, assembled, and tested in our Maryland facility in the USA. This ensures that we have strong quality control.
Can the lights be dimmed?
Most growers will want the ability to dim the lights via a controller if needed. Our LED grow lights are dimmable, giving you great control over light intensity.
Once you have the answers to these questions, you should be in a good position to make a decision about which under canopy lights to move forward with. We would love to have this conversation with you—fill out our light plan form and we’ll quickly get your under canopy lighting project started.
